Chapter 8, Graceful Curves

Feng Yan spoke, yet he took a cup of cold tea from a servant's hand and suddenly splashed it onto You Wu's face, coldly snorting to himself, pretending to faint in front of me; I have seen this trick too many times and am tired of it.

Madam Song nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, quickly concealing the joy in her eyes. She went out to call a maid, instructing her to lead her to the side room to see You Wu

Most people are aware of what happened in the garden. Even if Madam Guo does not know at this moment, she will naturally find out later. The old woman felt there was no need to hide it from Madam Guo, so she said: "Your lady and my lady were passing through the garden when, coincidentally, Scholar Wei was practicing archery. At that moment, he lost his aim, and an arrow shot straight towards your lady's heart. My general, with keen eyes and quick hands, also shot an arrow, which deflected Scholar Wei's arrow, and both arrows flew past your lady's head. Unexpectedly, your lady was overly startled and fell to the ground, fainting. My general splashed tea on your lady, and she woke up. As soon as she got up, she couldn't steady herself and fell back into my general's arms, fainting again. We then stepped forward and carried your lady to the side room..."

You Wu sighed, and said, in the past, she could not bear to see the ruthless female supporting characters in novels who pretended to faint and then fell into the male lead's arms, yet unexpectedly, she found herself in a similar situation today. Her father had been demoted, her mother only knew how to cry, Yan San was pressing her step by step, Shen Yunan had ill intentions, and Yang Shangbao, being old, could not protect himself. Not wanting to become a plaything, she had no choice but to act as a shameless female supporting character this time.

Upon hearing this, Madam Guo sensed something unusual. She beckoned the maid to a secluded spot and quietly slipped her a purse, asking, "What else have you heard, ma'am?"

Miss You, if there is nothing else, we shall take our leave? Feng Yan saw You Wuliao's slightly furrowed brows, making her even more enchanting, yet she averted her gaze, feeling disdainful in her heart. Although this Miss You from the You family is beautiful, her methods are equally unrefined. One must understand that I, Feng Yan, wish to marry, and naturally, I want to marry someone who is upright and honorable. How could I marry a mere ornamental vase with only an exterior? Grandmother said it was for a birthday celebration, but in reality, it was to let me observe the young ladies from various families. After today’s observations, they are all just superficial and common. This one is indeed beautiful, but being able to feign unconsciousness and lie on the ground for so long for others to gaze upon is not a good quality.

You Wu felt a chill on her face and sensed a few drops of water splashing into her nostrils, immediately catching a whiff of tea, which made her sneeze. Upon opening her eyes, she saw Madam Feng looking at her with concern, while several men surrounded her on the other side, their eyes wandering over her. Unable to help but feel a mix of shame and anger, she propped herself up and sat up. Noticing Madam Feng extending her hand, she took hold of it and stood up with her assistance.

It was still Madam Feng who first came to her senses. Although You Wu was the secondary wife of Yang Shangbao, she was still in her prime. Lying on the ground surrounded by young men was ultimately inappropriate. Therefore, she instructed Feng Yan, saying: "Quickly call a few maids to carry her into the inner room."

Yang Shangbao pondered for a moment and then said: "You spread rumors, claiming that Feng Yan has taken a liking to Wuniang, and that he deliberately shot arrows in the garden just to catch a glimpse of her. When the rumors reached my ears, I drank wine, pretended to be drunk, and wrote a divorce letter. You took the divorce letter to Wuniang, instructing her to find a lotus pond and pretend to jump in. Then you had someone stop her and find someone to demand an explanation from Feng Yan. I cannot believe that with such a disturbance, Feng Yan would remain unscathed, not standing up for Wuniang, nor coming out to explain a few words. You took the divorce letter to Wuniang, instructing her to find a lotus pond and pretend to jump in. Then you had someone stop her and find someone to demand an explanation from Feng Yan. I cannot believe that with such a disturbance, Feng Yan would remain unscathed, not standing up for Wuniang, nor coming out to explain a few words. As long as he stands up, as long as he explains, it will only make things worse; he would have to marry Wuniang even if he didn't want to."

Before the maid could come to lift You Wu, Feng Yan bent down to take a look at You Wu. After a moment, he raised his head and casually said: "It is merely a faint from shock; pressing on the acupoint will awaken her. If that does not work, splashing some cold tea will do the trick. If all else fails, a couple of slaps will certainly bring her back to consciousness"

Yang Shangbao, upon hearing that You Wu had taken a liking to Feng Yan, pretended to faint in his arms and, after a moment of surprise, said: "Well, Wu Niang has a good eye; Feng Yan is indeed quite remarkable."

While waiting for Feng Yan to change into another outfit, after taking a stroll in front, new gossip emerged, stating that Yang Shangbao had heard of his mutual affection with You Wu and had already written a divorce letter to facilitate his relationship with You Wu. At first, Feng Yun thought it was just a joke and did not take it seriously. However, when his personal servant rushed in to report that Yang Shangbao had indeed written the divorce letter, and that You Wu, after reading it, had cried and run into the garden calling his name, attempting to jump into the lotus pond, his expression turned grave, and he shouted: "What is going on?"

After a short while, a maidservant came to convey the instructions of Lady Feng to seek out Madam Guo and Madam Song, stating that You Wu had fallen in the garden and was now resting in the side room. Lady Feng had already summoned a doctor to examine her pulse and requested that Madam Guo and Madam Song come over to take a look.

As You Wu collapsed to the ground, her back was painfully pressed by several small stones, and she knew that the delicate skin on her back must have turned bruised. Her arms, having scraped against the ground, were surely also scraped. At that moment, upon hearing a deep voice calling out for Lady Feng's grandmother, she immediately recognized it was Feng Yan. Listening to his words, she couldn't help but curse inwardly. Upon seeing the beautiful woman from the painting faint, shouldn't he be rushing to save her, carrying her back to her room? Instead, he was leading people to watch and even wanted to splash cold water on her?

A deep voice said, "Grandmother, are you alright?" After Madam Feng replied that she was fine, he then shouted, "Someone, bring a ladle of cold water and sprinkle it on this beauty's face; she will wake up soon."

"Wunian, Wunian..." Lady Feng was startled, her intoxication fading somewhat. She called out to You Wunian a couple of times, then shouted, "Who shot the arrow? What if someone gets killed, what shall we do then?"

Yang Shangbao waved his sleeve and said: "Wuniang is both clever and beautiful, how could she be unworthy of him?"

You Wu stood there dazed, and soon her legs went weak, causing her to fall backward with a thud, landing on the ground and losing consciousness.

Madam Guo was taken aback, as she had never known that her father-in-law possessed such shameless tactics

Madam Guo said cautiously: "What does the old man wish to do?"

The beauty must have been fainted in shock

Yang Shangbao coughed lightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and explained: "I am only afraid that I cannot protect Wuniang, and that I will tire you all out. Feng Yan, being without a wife or concubines, even if he treats Wuniang coldly, is still far better than Yan San Shi and Shen Yunan. Moreover, with Wuniang's beauty, aside from the royal family, only a family like the Fengs can truly protect her. Furthermore, the affairs of the Feng family are simple, and Lady Feng is kind-hearted and easy to get along with, so Wuniang will not suffer too much."

As Feng Yan splashed the cold tea, You Wu's resolve only strengthened. It was not her fault to be beautiful, but to be bullied by various men simply because of her beauty, and not daring to harm or take advantage of men, was truly pathetic. She raised her eyes to look at Feng Yan, noticing that he was around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a tall and upright figure, eyebrows like bamboo leaves, and a pair of bright, piercing eyes beneath them. His appearance could not be described as exceptionally handsome, yet when he stood casually, he exuded an impressive aura that overshadowed other men. Her heart raced for a moment; indeed, it would be delightful to ensnare someone like him.

Madam Guo, upon hearing Yang Shangbao's words, remarked: "It is merely the Dowager's one-sided affection; I fear that Feng Yan may not agree to it."

After the old woman finished speaking, Madam Guo and Madam Song exchanged glances, each unable to conceal their excitement, and hurriedly walked aside to discuss a few words. Madam Guo said: "I will go find the master and urge him to make a decision quickly. You go to the side room to see the madam and let her..." As she spoke, she whispered a few words.

Several men quickly surrounded, and upon seeing the beautiful figure lying on the ground, with a graceful curve and picturesque features, their hearts raced a few beats. When they wanted to look away, they found it hard to part with the sight, and inevitably stole a few more glances. One remarked: "The top scholar learns archery; upon seeing a beauty, he becomes flustered and misses his shot. Fortunately, the general is quick-witted and shot another arrow to save the situation. But did he not miss the beauty? How did the beauty end up on the ground?"

In the blink of an eye, the second arrow caught up with the first, forcefully striking beneath its tail, throwing off the aim of the first arrow. The two arrows whizzed past You Wu's hairpin with a whoosh.

Wei Zheng's face flushed slightly, and he smiled, saying: "I will certainly pay attention next time." As he spoke, he turned to look at You Wu, once again captivated by her beauty, and thought to himself: What a beautiful young lady!

Gossip always spreads quickly, especially when it concerns matters between men and women, such as the relationship between Feng Yan and the renowned You Wu. In just a short while, the various ladies and young misses attending the banquet at the Feng residence heard that Feng Yan had inadvertently met You Wu and, like Yan San Shi, had become deeply entangled and unable to extricate himself. Today, in order to see You Wu, he had been lying in wait in the garden early on.

Feng Yan was speaking when he lifted his foot to leave, but he suddenly saw the beautiful woman step forward and stand in front of him, seemingly wanting to say something. Before she could open her mouth, her body suddenly went limp and she fell into his arms. Feng Yan instinctively tried to avoid her; as soon as his arm moved, he realized that the corner of his sleeve was tightly grasped by the beautiful woman, who pretended to faint in his embrace under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

You Wu was thinking that, given the power of the Feng family, it would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens for her to get close to Feng Yan. However, if she were to get injured at the Feng residence, it would provide her with more opportunities to interact with Madam Feng, and perhaps even with Feng Yan. Who knows, she might just be able to rid herself of Yan San Shi. At present, she pretended to faint, but her mind was still racing. She was infuriated that Feng Yan suggested sending someone to slap her; if she did not harm such a person, who else could she possibly harm?

With the bow and arrow still in hand, Wei Zheng knew that his shot had not hit You Wu. Once his shock had subsided, he then asked Madam Feng, "May I inquire, whose young lady is this?"

"She is Miss You from the You family," replied Madam Feng. Raising her eyes to see Wei Zheng, she complained, "The top scholar should practice archery in a secluded place. This area is bustling with people; if an arrow were to suddenly fly out, it could almost cost a life"

"Grandfather, this is quite serious!" After careful consideration of her words, Madam Guo recounted the incident of You Wu collapsing into Feng Yan's arms.

Madam Guo took a deep breath here and instructed someone to go out and find Yang Shangbao

Yang Shangbao was conversing with someone when he heard that Madam Guo was looking for him. He approached the table where the women were seated and saw Madam Guo waiting in the corridor, so he asked, "What is the matter?"

Before the crowd's exclamations could escape their lips, another man beside them, armed with a bow and arrow, had already aimed and shot the arrow that was released. With the twang of the bowstring, the arrow flew like a meteor, also releasing another arrow.